Do you guys read birth plans?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I'm putting together a birth plan to give my OB in a couple of weeks. I had one for my first, but I never had a chance to give it to my OB when I PROMed @ 36 weeks.

So I'm wondering, would I be wasting my time and paper? I do want to have things explicitly known by the nursing staff, like no e-mycin gtts, no bottles, ect.

I know I read living wills on charts, but that's a differnet slice of cake.

Thanks for any feedback!

hahahhahaahahahahahhahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

serves them freaking right!!!!

i would have had the hardest time not handing that man a big ol' fat steamy serving of crow for him to eat in the recovery room!!!

hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!! i hope every single granola-eatin', nurse-hating, i-know-better-than-you, crystal-kissin', new-age-a$$hole friend of theirs hears about how their wonderful birth plan "saved" them from the "horrible" interventions of modern medicine!!!

:chuckle :roll :D

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Specializes in Adult Med-Surg, Rehab, and Ambulatory Care.

Shay....LOL....God you ladies are the greatest...I love reading this board. :roll

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

I once had a primip come in in early labor with a detailed birth plan and a militant chiropractor husband. He spent over an hour rambling on about how most of the illnesses people suffer are due to the doctor putting unnecessary traction on the spine at birth.

She had back labor and was very uncomfortable. Her breathing and relaxation techniques were not helping. We tried the Jacuzzi and a back massage to no avail. Then I offered her some pain medication. Her hubby reamed me out for doing so " because the birth plan says that she is not to receive pain medication, EVEN IF SHE ASKS FOR IT!" I then informed him that if she refused the offer of pain medication I would respect her wishes. But I would not and could not refuse her request for an ordered pain med, as to do so would constitute poor nursing care and negligent practice on my part. I also reminded him that his wife was my patient, and I would respect HER wishes.

I don't honestly remember ifshe received any pain meds in labor or not, but I do vividly recall the hubby hanging over the poor midwife's shoulder calling out instructions while she delivered the baby. He refused her offer to deliver the baby himself.

At discharge, we would routinely fill and send home a pain Rx in order to save the new parents a trip to the pharmacy. When I offered the Rx to Mom, Dad grabbed it and threw it on the bed, stating that it was totally unnecessary. When he left the room to pull the car around, the mother took it and hid it in her purse. I felt sorry for her. I just do not understand how women can allow themselves to be controlled like that.

The father also stated that their baby would never receive any immunizations, as they were just as unnecessary as pain meds. Bozo!

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Specializes in cardiac, diabetes, OB/GYN.

Jolie, YOURS takes the cake...I inform everyone coming through delivery that delivery is one of the only places in the world where women are in charge and that the patient is in charge as we work for her...I would have had a tough time with that couple BUT wonder if there were other issues as well...Maybe a social service consult! How can anyone accept or even condone a birth plan that refuses pain meds even if the patient asks for it..That is not only inhumane, I wonder if its illegal...Would be curious as to the position her doc took....Oh well, your story is MUCH worse than mine!

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

This happened about 10 or 11 years ago. Our patients usually brought their birth plans in to the hospital with them, so most were not pre-approved, so to speak by the doc or midwife.

The midwife who delivered this patient was very pro-natural birth, and also a great patient advocate. She shared my opinion of the father and his attempts to control matters. I was new to OB at the time, and it still amazes me that I had the spine to stand up to that Bozo, but I'm glad I did. I never thought about the possibility of social service intervention at the time, but it is a good suggestion to remember in the future. I think that we forget that abuse and control issues can happen even with intelligent, well-educated patients like this mom.

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God, Jolie...that movie 'Sleeping With the Enemy' just kept flashing through my head after reading that....~shudder~

Poor woman. I bet she's had the crap knocked out of her a few thousand times since then.

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Specializes in Adult Med-Surg, Rehab, and Ambulatory Care.

Unrealted to the main theme of this thread but sorta on track with how it's going I guess...I was watching a tv show once (don't groan) and there was this 18 or 19 yr old girl in labor and her mother was with her (no idea if the baby's father was in the picture or not). Anyway, the girl was in very early labor (maybe 3cm dilated?) and in a boatload of pain; moaning, thrashing about, crying, etc. The mother stood there like a statue and squeezed her hand and kept saying "You are doing this naturally. I did it, you can do it." Basically she told the daughter to suck it up and deal with it. The camera followed the L&D nurse out of the room and you could see she was fuming but trying to be tactful. "Noone should have to go through this torture" I believe is what she said.

What do you do when someone other than the patient is "just saying no to drugs" and seems to want to take control of the whole labor? How do you handle that when you want to throw mom out of the room and do something for the poor girl in the bed?

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I tell them this:

"SHE is my patient, not you, and if SHE asks me for pain medication or says that she feels the needs it, I will ignore you and give it to her as she asks. SHE is the one in pain and doing the laboring, not you, and only SHE knows when she needs medication."

Then I smile with that sweet/nasty f-you smile that lets them know that the jig is up. Works every time. Heh heh. Nothing like a ballsy nurse to empower a patient and smack the family into line.:devil:

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Question: How do these a$$hole , controlling men get a second date with these women, never mind marry them? Makes me wonder. I will say L&D did a lot for my marriage. Watching some of these dysfunctional couples made me realize how lucky I was to have my guy!!!!

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Originally posted by Hardknox

I will say L&D did a lot for my marriage. Watching some of these dysfunctional couples made me realize how lucky I was to have my guy!!!!

No kidding....man....my husband is a prince.

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Specializes in cardiac, diabetes, OB/GYN.

Mine too, thank God....

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most nurses do fear loss of control, And I have not experience what a lot of nurses here seem to claim.i have been part of many births with plans that did not want interventions.I have seen a much better outcome with theses couples,it is a shame so many nurses claim to be caring but are so judgemental and biased.And by the way I am a L&D nurse and have experience many natural births and enjoy well prepared couples with birth plans

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